A pressurized water cooled reactor system is, in essence, a closed loop hydraulic system having circulation pumps therein The reactor is essentially a heat engine and must be provided with adequate cooling to prevent overheating which would result in damage to the reactor. In order to maintain proper heat transfer from the reactor to the reactor coolant, it is desirable to prevent the formation of steam voids or bubbles within the coolant. Such steam voids or bubbles act as pressure surge chambers resulting in the loss of cooling to the reactor. To date, no method has been developed for determining the presence, and/or amount, of steam voids within the coolant in a reactor.
Because of the foregoing, it has become desirable to develop a system for detecting steam voids or bubbles within a reactor coolant system.